Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) received a $117,747 Project Grant award dated April 17, 2026, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113) to analyze the distribution, effectiveness, and implementation of wildfire smoke exposure reduction strategies on respiratory health in the San Francisco Bay Area. The research project, scheduled for completion by March 31, 2028, applies an interdisciplinary approach combining spatial analysis, implementation science, and exposure assessment to understand respiratory health outcomes and identify gaps in resource availability. The project systematically integrates multiple data sources to detect changes in wildfire smoke risk resulting from exposure reduction strategies and characterizes respiratory risk associated with wildfire-specific fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure across diverse populations.

The grant supports the principal investigator's development of innovative spatial and exposure analytical and qualitative methods to identify factors influencing the success and implementation of community resilience strategies designed to mitigate wildfire smoke health impacts. The research addresses the growing public health burden of increasingly frequent and intense wildfire events in the Western United States and Canada, with particular focus on vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by adverse respiratory outcomes. The project advances environmental health knowledge by examining whether existing guidance documents and risk reduction strategies are effectively adopted across communities, with emphasis on identifying evidence-based interventions that reduce wildfire smoke exposure burden and improve population health outcomes.